Hegemonic Masculinity, What's That?

From the Syllabus

In order for us to understand what Hegemonic Masculinity is, we have to define hegemonic and masculinity. The term hegemonic stems from hegemony, which means complete dominance by a country or social group over others. Masculinity is defined as the possession of the qualities traditionally/stereotypically associated with cisgender, heteronormative men. So what in the world is hegemonic masculinity?

R.W. Connell, a widely referenced sociologist from Australia, coined the term Hegemonic Masculinity in the 1980’s. Connell defines Hegemonic Masculinity as the proposed practices that promote the dominant social position of cismen and subordination of everyone else. Hegemonic Masculinity plays a significant role in social inequality, sexism, and patriarchy. For many men, being the dominant group and holding power over others in society sounds normal... and even great….but that’s what Hegemonic Masculinity wants us to think. ​

Imagine you’re interning at a business you really want to work it. The business owner may have you run around completing irrelevant tasks i.e. getting coffee, picking up their dry cleaning, cleaning up after their pet. None of these tasks are beneficial to you or anyone around you. That's similar to what Hegemonic Masculinity does: it encourages men to behave in ways that aren’t necessarily beneficial to them or anyone else.

Use of 'fags' is in reference to cigarette*

How are We Taught Hegemonic Masculinity?

Hegemonic Masculinity teaches cismen that in order for them to be considered a man they must abide by these unwritten rules of masculinity: men have to be strong, powerful, dominant; men are not supposed to show emotion; men must be heterosexual; real men have muscles; men don’t cry and on and on.

“Boys don’t cry!" "Crying makes you a sissy!" "Only girls cry!” These are some common expression that boys may hear while growing up. These are phrases that promote hegemonic masculinity. Hegemonic Masculinity promotes unhealthy behavior. Insisting that a little boy does not cry because it is not manly may be harmful to the child emotionally and psychologically in the future.

Critically linked to gender and women’s studies, Masculinities studies has pushed us to ask critical questions about men’s relationships to and oppression from patriarchy. Not all men have power and what “a man” is supposed to be and do changes across time, place, and culture. For this reason, when we talk about masculinities, we connect to issues related race, class, and sexuality. In this theme, we will talk about “hegemonic masculinities” and “subordinate masculinities”, most specifically the ways that any given social order coerces hegemonic forms and disinvests from subordinate, radical forms of masculinities in ways that harm everyone across the board.

​Having a large family has left me with many cousins, young and older, that are male. Listening to Uncle’s repeatedly tell my little cousins (boys) not to cry because it's not manly has left an effect on them. For the cousins who are younger than me, watching them grow up has allowed me to get a real visual of what hegemonic masculinity does. A little cousin who once cried freely, now withholds all emotions because he thinks emotions are not manly. Being told not to cry and hold in your emotions can affect how you communication, handle, and face your emotions in a healthy way. We don’t scold little girls for crying, so why would we punish little boys for crying? Hegemonic Masculinity is only a small sliver in the pie of problems our society must break. It is a difficult habit to break, but a work in progress.